Picking Up The Pieces 1st story
by soliddreams
Summary: The war is over. After having spent a year apart, Dean seems not to have changed much. Séamus has. In fact, he changed much. And to understand his bests mates behaviour, Dean needs to understand what happened.
1. Chapter 1

**Picking up the pieces**

**Summary:** The war is over. Dean and Séamus spent a year apart. Deans seems not to have changed much. Séamus has. In fact, he changed much. Since Dean can't understand his best mate's behavior, he tries to find out what happened. And learns stunning as well as shocking facts about the young Irish man.

**Disclaimer:** The characters and all the Harry- Potter- World belings to JKR, not me.

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><p><em>Séamus gave a huge roar of delight and ran to hug his best friend.<em>

I'm back, mate. We haven't got much time right now, I know that. We all know that. There's a war going on and the final battle's just ahead. It's in the air, everyone can feel it. And finally I'm back in Hogwarts, the school that had been my second home for six years.

Finally, I see my best friend again. He looks awful. His face is swollen and bruised, as if he'd gotten in a serious fight. And Séamus doesn't really fight often. He discusses with passion, yes, but he never actually gets into fights. But it's war, I've been mentioning that before. Stuck with deatheaters in Hogwarts must've been hard, too, I guess.

Our hug lasts, and I feel my best mate fasten onto me as if his life depends on that. Maybe it is, we spent all the year apart. I missed him so much and I just can guess how he missed me. I went away without a word and God knows what he was thinking about that. But we can discuss that later.

We separate and I take a closer look on him. I'm shocked. Séamus is thin, so thin. Far too thin, as if he'd hadn't eaten enough all year. I mean, he never was fat or something. But he always had this childish plumpness and chubby cheeks and stuff. But now? My best mate looks like he's almost starving. But the worst are his eyes. They're happy, I can see that. But I've known this guy for seven years and I can also see the rest in it. The angst of months, the weariness like he hasn't slept for weeks, and the sadness. So much sadness and I've got no idea from what.

I recognize something else. Something I didn't recognize before this moment. Séamus hasn't said one word since I got in this room. Not this light happy- talk of Séamus, not anything. I've been missing to hear Séamus talk all the time I was running away. Sometimes he used to start to talk when he woke up in the morning and not to stop before he was falling asleep at night. Sometimes he wouldn't even stop when he was asleep. But now, he's quiet.

His looks shocked me before. But now I'm seriously worried. What happened that it was strong enough to mute this strong, brave and always so loud Gryffindor?

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><p>Séamus is asleep. We stay at the Weasleys, as Hermione, Harry and Neville are. I look at him again, worried. The war is over and I still can't believe all of what happened. Causing fire, without even using his wand. That's what Séamus did, when I can believe the others. We haven't been fighting side by side all time. Ginny stands in the doorway and nods. I've neither heard her not realized that I said out loud what I was thinking. She comes in, sits down in front of me on the floor and looks at me.<p>

"He changed much during the last year, you know."

"I see that. When did he get that silent?"  
>"After Potterwatch recalled his parents and he completely burst out."<br>"His parents are..?" I look confused. Why did I miss that? He's my best mate, I should know what happens to his family. But I haven't had a radio with me while I was running away. Ginny nods.

"As all of his family is. They fought in the first war, did you know? And they didn't have much protection around their houses. Deatheaters came to then first. In Ireland, they always knew that the family of Seamus's Mom is full of rebels. They were all killed."

"I wish I'd knew. But he didn't even tell me."  
>"Stopped talking about his family. Like he stopped talking about you. Did you know that he was thinking that you're dead?" Again, I'm shocked. I disapprove.<p>

So many things I don't know. "D'you think he'll just need time to come around?"  
>Now she's the one to shake her head. "I dunno. Hoped that you know."<p>

"I might have known. When he would've been at least nearly like I left him. But now..? I've got the feeling I don't know him anymore." Releasing this to Ginny doesn't feel that bad. We were lovers, right, but that is long ago. We're friends now, good friends, I guess.

Ginny nods. "Maybe you can help him to get like he was before. You've always been important to him, you know that." I nod and take a deep breath.

"Would you tell me what happened? I mean the day his parents died?" I look at her, hopefully. I know that I'm asking much, but I know as good as Ginny does, that I really need to know. Somewhere I need to start when I want to pick up the pieces of Seamus's life. And he is in pieces. Everyone that knows him just a little can see that.

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><p>So, this is the first part of my first story. I'd love critics, as long as they're serious and not mean. ;) Especially on language, I'd like critic, since I'm no native speaker and like to improve my English.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**2. Ginny's Story**

"It was about three month ago. We all had to move in the room of requirement. Many of us were there, Neville, Lavender, the Patil twins, Neville, Luna and myself, for example. None of us heard the radio, we didn't dare to. We were afraid of really bad news. But Séamus did. He listened to Potterwach every evening. We all… I guess we tried not to listen. Noone would dare to ask Séamus to switch it out. He would sit on his bed, listening. One evening, he swallowed hard and sighed deeply. I went over to him and sat down next to him. 'Bad news?', I asked and he nodded. 'One of my uncle's family was killed tonight. Séan and Iain – they were twins. They lived together with Iains wife and children.' Séamus hesitated and swallowed again. He looked so sad. 'My cousin Breanna was only six month old. They were all killed.' I was shocked and just took him into a hug. He wasn't crying and I remember wondering about it. But he was so hot. Not what you think, Dean, he was physically hot. As if he had was in a really serious fever. I parted from him and put my hand onto his forehead. Séamus just nodded. 'Don't worry about that, it's kinda normal for me.' I wondered what that meant and I asked him about, but he didn't say anything else.

Next day was even worse. I stepped up to him, as he turned the radio on. I wondered that I never really asked him about his family. 'How many uncles d'you have actually, Séamus?', I wanted to know as he kept listening. 'Seven uncles. One remaining.' Then, Kingsley's deep voice said the names of the dead. Two times O'Flaherty this time. Pádraig and Laoghaire O'Flaherty. Séamus shrugged and said. 'I correct myself. No uncle remaining.' His voice was so… empty. I was really frightened. He turned away from me, asking me to leave him alone for now. I did it. I knew I couldn't help him now.

Then, I saw him write an owl. To his parents, obviously. He always wrote to his parents.

And then, the next day, it happened. The owl came back right in that moment, his owl came back hooting as if in deep horror. And I heard Kingsley's voice." Ginny started to cry as I watched and listened her. "Kingsley's voice… It recalled Seamus's parents. And then, he burst out. I could literally see his body heat up, his face went red. From pain or fury, I couldn't tell. Then he roared like a lion and I knew he was really, really mad. I tried to calm him down and called out for Neville to help. But then he… he caught fire. Really caught fire, not also him but his bed, too. We were so shocked. I tried to call out for Séamus but I could tell he didn't hear me. Then he started throwing himself on the wall, really brutally. More and more of the room caught fire and everyone panicked. I didn't know what to do, when the others tried to pull the fire out with water but it didn't work. Nothing happened. Then Séamus threw his head on the wall so brutally he passed out. And with that, the fire was gone. As if it was never there, after the room rebuild itself. And Séamus looked awful. His head bled and one of his hands was broken. And he was still so hot when Neville and I got up to him to take care of him. The next morning he didn't even seem to remember what happened. Everyone was furious about him and said that he was a thread to us all. He could have us all killed or released us to the Carrow's. But Neville, Luna and I insisted to keep him here.

He had stopped laughing, stopped smiling and stopped talking."

Ginny finished and we found ourselves clinging onto each other and cry, while Séamus lay next to us sleeping.


End file.
